School of Law: News and Events
Best Law Teacher in Australia
Dr Mary Heath of the Flinders Law School received a 2006 National Award for Teaching Excellence, one of only two Law teachers to receive the award. Mary was recognised for her teaching in criminal law, which addresses challenging themes of violence and discrimination, including rape, domestic violence and hate crime, and requires imaginative teaching practices that acknowledge the presence of emotion in the classroom.
Dr Heath draws on her professional and community experience in her approach.
"Creating classes which are stimulating, creative and student-centred is one of the most exciting parts of my work. I relish meeting the challenge of teaching demanding material in ways that enable learning and create possibilities for personal and social transformation," she said.
"Teaching and learning are inherently exciting processes. I feel privileged to engage in them with other teachers who are passionate about their work and with students who delight in taking up the challenges law offers."
The 2006 awards recognise that Flinders offers some of the best university teaching in the country. Professor Hay won the prestigious Prime Minister's Award for University Teacher of the Year and the Social Sciences award, while archaeologists Associate Professor Claire Smith and Dr Heather Burke received a team teaching award.
"Flinders has a longstanding high-level commitment to identifying and supporting quality, innovative teaching and learning, and this latest round of awards confirms that this strategy is successful. The benefits of this, of course, flow to our students," Vice-Chancellor Anne Edwards said.
The University has regularly won national teaching awards, including the Prime Minister's Award for University Teacher of the Year to Professor Mark Israel of the School of Law in 2004.
To find out more about Mary’s teaching, see Professor Israel’s interview with Dr Mary Heath.
Aurora Legal Intern Placement Program
The Aurora Legal Intern Placement Program has been placing law students from Australian law schools since the summer of 2004. The Program, now part of the Aurora Project, (www.auroraproject.com.au) is about to embark on a new round of applications for the summer 2007/08 intake. Applications open on Monday 13 August and close on Friday 7 September 2007. The Internship Program introduces students to career opportunities in Native Title, and at the same time provides assistance to under-resourced and overworked Native Title Representative Body (NTRB) lawyers.
Information Sheet (pdf)
What is reconciliation? What is so special about May 27 2007? Read an article written by a student, Kate McFarlane, who undertook her Aurora Placement with Reconciliation Australia in Canberra in early 2007. The article covers Kate's experiences and increased understanding of reconciliation.
Reconcili[what?] : Article by Kate McFarlane
Offshore Native Title in Australia: The Croker Island case and its effect on Indigenous people's exclusive possession of sea country by Eleanor McEvoy. Eleanor is a final year Flinders University law student who, whilst completing her internship as a work-from-home researcher, recently produced this paper for Lingiari on Native Title and Indigenous Sea Country working with the Lingiari Policy Centre in Canberra through the Aurora Project.
The Law School congratulates its student Juliet Badics for being a co-winner of the 2007 Law Foundation of South Australia Law and Justice Essay Prize. Juliet's essay was entitled " Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Act 2006 (Cth): Accommodating the Interests of Australian Indigenous Children?". This is the fourth year in succession that the prize has gone to a Flinders law student (Eloisa Calabio in 2004, Frances Willis 2005, Katherine Hooper 2006 ). The prize is open to Flinders and Adelaide Law School students. Essays of between 2,000 - 5,000 words on a topic related to law and justice are eligible. Those interested in reading Juliet's winning essay will find it published (in 2 parts) in the Law Society's Bulletin magazine (June 2007 and July 2007 issues). Entry requirements for the 2008 award will be posted on the Law School noticeboards shortly.
Con Marinos AM Prizes:
Each year the Faculty of EHL&T and the Faculty of Social Sciences call for nominations for the award of two Con Marinos AM Prizes (Undergraduate). Each prize has a value of $500 and is awarded for an outstanding essay submitted for assessment during the academic year by a student enrolled in an undergraduate degree in either of the two sponsoring Faculties. One of the prizes is awarded for an essay submitted for a topic in the Faculty of EHL&T and the other for an essay submitted for a topic in the Faculty of Social Sciences. The essay must be on a subject related to one of the following areas: ethnicity, racism, human rights, multiculturalism, social justice.; must have a maximum word length of 6,000 words and must have received a High Distinction.
The Law School would like to congratulate Jemma Litster and Alex Rafalowicz as recipients of the 2005 Con Marinos AM Prizes.
Law School University Medallists:
Each year, Flinders University awards University Medals to its most outstanding graduates. Five law students who completed their degree requirements in 2006 received this prestigious honour. The Law School congratulates Merryn Cossey, Kate D'Assumpcao, Joseph McIntyre, Yasmin McMahon and Kellie Toole on receiving a University Medal.
INU Scholarship Award:
Flinders University participates in the International Network of Universities (INU). Scholarship places are available to allow students to attend the INU Student Seminar on Global Citizenship in Horoshima, Japan on August 4-9, 2006. In an open competition for places from within the entire University, it was a law student who was selected by the University and INU to attend the Seminar. The Law School congratulates its student, Amy Ralf, on this achievement.
Staff Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Flinders University:
The Law School is proud to announce that Debbie Kuss, the Manager, School Administration and Helen Culshaw, the University's Law Librarian were named recipients of a 2006 Staff Award for Outstanding Contribution to Flinders University. The Awards were established as part of Flinders' 40th Anniversary celebrations. Recognition of their outstanding contributions to the University over a length of time was determined through the following criteria:
1. Sustained and positive impact on Flinders University staff, students and/or the environment;
2. Peer acknowledgement of excellence;
3. Service over and above what is expected;
4. Continuous generosity of spirit in attitude and work; and
5. Sense of responsibility and integrity.
The Law School congratulates Debbie and Helen on this very special recognition.
Law Teacher Wins University Teaching Excellence Award
Flinders University recognises its academics who have made outstanding contributions to the education of its students through their teaching prowess. A maximum of only 5 Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Teaching are made each year. I am delighted to report that in 2005, Senior Lecturer in Law Chris Symes, was named one of those 5. Chris' reputation for excellence is well known among his students and his colleagues. Teaching in the areas of corporate and business law; insolvency; and practical legal training, Chris has displayed a deep commitment to quality education, has obtained formal qualifications in the field, and has implemented new and successful ideas into his classroom environment. This award is well-deserved and long overdue.
It is noteworthy that this is the third year in the last four that a member of the Law School's academic staff has been recognised in this way. Given how few of these awards are made each year, and how many academics there are working at Flinders University, this is a remarkable testament to the Law School and the value it places on its teaching mission. Indeed, seven Excellence in Teaching awards have been made over the years to academics who have been on the staff of the Law School at one time or another. And of course Dr Mark Israel of the Law School received the Prime MInister's Award for Higher Education Teacher of the Year in 2004.
The 2005 award to Chris Symes continues in this fine tradition, and the Law School extends its congratulations to him on this achievement.
Justice for asylum seekers
http://www.flinders.edu.au/news/articles/?oc21v15s06
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